The old paradigm for treating a Type II diabetic is "eat up and shoot up"--eat lots of carbs (45 g per meal minimum) and take as much insulin as you need to cover it. It sells a lot of insulin (which is getting VERY expensive) but it doesn't cure or even necessarily control diabetes. Type II diabetes' hallmark is hyperinsulemia and insulin resistance, and adding more insulin into the equation doesn't make a lot of sense (NOTE: I am NOT saying your wife should stop taking her insulin!!!).
Recently, even the American Diabetes Association has recognized that a low carb diet approach is effective and included it in their recently released guidelines for treating diabetes with an individualized approach. A doctor or dietitian who refuses to assist a patient who wants to try a low carb approach is no longer following ADA guidelines. Your wife's doctor may tell her that she needs more insulin because "diabetes is a progressive disease". But people are learning that is' NOT a progressive disease and can be reversed (not cured) with a low carb diet.
Two very good books and websites on the topic have already been recommended: Dr. Richard K. Bernstein's Diabetes Solution (
www.diabetes-book.com) , and Dr. Jason Fung's Diabetes Code (
www.idmprogram.com). My very FAVORITE simple and plain introduction to low carb is here:
https://www.dietdoctor.com/low-carb keep scrolling down because there's a lot of great info there (it's easy to think it's at the end, but keep scrolling down!). You do NOT have to pay to join Dietdoctor.com to find a ton of good information available there for free. If you really want the shorthand version, this is great:
https://www.dietdoctor.com/low-carb/60-seconds But you and your wife should read Dr. Bernstein's book to truly understand the WHY.
Even if I could stand and cook the stress would cause seizures.
An added bonus of this way of eating, especially if you slant toward "keto" (low carb, high fat), is better control of seizures. Win-win!
We eat a lot of processed food out of convenience, her fatigue, and general emotional predisposition.
Eating low carb sounds harder than it is. You can buy thin cuts of meat that cook quickly, cooked rotisserie chicken (not with a sugary coating, though), eggs, and fish. Most of these cook quickly in a pan and you can easily add a simple butter sauce (add garlic--you can buy it already chopped--or a squeeze of lemon, salt and pepper). You can buy frozen or already prepared non-starchy veggies and microwave them, toss with butter. Or look up low carb or keto "sheet pan dinner recipes" (like this one:
https://www.tasteaholics.com/recipes/di ... r-skillet/ you can buy already chopped onions and sliced mushrooms), and with very little prep you can put an entire meal in the oven (line the pan with foil for easy clean up) and have a great meal. Add some quick and easy low carb snacks like hard boiled eggs (you can even buy them already hard boiled), nuts, cheese, salami or pepperoni slices, canned olives and you're good to go. If this all sounds "too expensive" don't forget to factor in how much the increased insulin and the processed foods are costing you. It's really not more expensive when you stop buying highly processed food and insulin. And as your wife starts feeling better (she will), she may be more interested in cooking.
Your wife will need to work with her doctor as she adopts a low carb diet. The change will reduce her need for insulin and (if she takes it) blood pressure meds almost immediately, and that could cause problems if she continues to take the same amount of those medications. If her doctor won't work with her on this, she needs a new doctor who will.
I hope you and your wife can find your way to better health.
it's 2019 ... can we take that phrase back again?)
